Learning as I go

Gardening in the tropics has its surprises. After a sago palm I planted several years ago succumbed to a disease that has killed virtually all of that variety in south Florida, I found what I thought would be the perfect replacement. It was a foot tall then, and feathery. I thought it would remain small. It had one trunk.

Given our rain and sun however, my choice of pigmy date palm was not a perfect one for the spot outside our bathroom window. Today, the tree is at least seven feet tall with multiple trunks. Worse than that, sharp needles three inches long grow from the otherwise feathery fronds.  My husband, Ed, says the tree is a menace when he wants to turn on the garden hose or wash the window.

So today, I asked our tree man to cut the thing down. He was reluctant. He said he could remove all but one trunk, so at least there would be something pretty in the space, and the faucet and window would be accessible. Other trunks, in a few months, would start growing from the stump, he admitted, but they wouldn't become a problem for several years. At that point, we would have other decisions to make. Sounds good to me.